Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 16:15
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that [is] for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Either he killed the goat before he entered into the holy of holies, though it be mentioned after, such transplacings of passages being not unusual; or rather he went out of the holy of holies and killed it, and then returned thither again with its blood, and this agrees best with the text, nor are transpositions to be allowed without necessity. And whereas the high priest is said to be allowed to enter into that place but once in a year, that is to be understood but one day in a year, though there seems to have been occasion of going in and coming out more than once upon that day.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that [is] for the people,…. That upon which the lot came for the Lord,
Le 16:9; the high priest having sprinkled the blood of the bullock, came out of the most holy place, and went into the court of the tabernacle to the altar of burnt offering, and on the north side of that slew the goat for the sin offering, the place where all such were killed; see Le 1:11. This was a type of Christ, of his being slain, and made an offering for the sins of his people:
and bring his blood within the vail: it being received into a basin, as before the blood of the bullock was, he took it, and with it went in a third time into the most holy place:
and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat; it should be rendered “toward the mercy seat” it is by Noldius q;
[See comments on Le 16:14].
q Concord. Ebr. partic. p. 704. No. 2013.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After this he was to slay the he-goat as a sin-offering for the nation, for which purpose, of course, he must necessarily come back to the court again, and then take the blood of the goat into the most holy place, and do just the same with it as he had already done with that of the ox. A double sprinkling took place in both cases, first upon or against the capporeth, and then seven times in front of the capporeth. The first sprinkling, which was performed once only, was for the expiation of the sins, first of the high priest and his house, and then of the congregation of Israel (Lev 4:7, and Lev 4:18); the second, which was repeated seven times, was for the expiation of the sanctuary from the sins of the people. This is implied in the words of Lev 16:16, “and so shall he make expiation for the most holy place, on account of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and on account of their transgressions with regard to all their sins,” which refer to both the sacrifices; since Aaron first of all expiated the sins of the priesthood, and the uncleanness with which the priesthood had stained the sanctuary through their sin, by the blood of the bullock of the sin-offering; and then the sins of the nation, and the uncleannesses with which it had defiled the sanctuary, by the he-goat, which was also slain as a sin-offering.
(Note: V. Hoffmann’s objection to this rests upon the erroneous supposition that a double act of expiation was required for the congregation, and only a single one for the priesthood, whereas, according to the distinct words of the text, a double sprinkling was performed with the blood of both the sin-offerings, and therefore a double expiation effected.)
Lev 16:16-17 “ And so shall he do to the tabernacle of the congregation that dwelleth among them.” (i.e., has its place among them, Jos 22:19) “ in the midst of their uncleanness.” The holy things were rendered unclean, not only by the sins of those who touched them, but by the uncleanness, i.e., the bodily manifestations of the sin of the nation; so that they also required a yearly expiation and cleansing through the expiatory blood of sacrifice. By ohel moed , “the tabernacle of the congregation,” in Lev 16:16 and Lev 16:17, as well as Lev 16:20 and Lev 16:33, we are to understand the holy place of the tabernacle, to which the name of the whole is applied on account of its occupying the principal space in the dwelling, and in distinction from kodesh (the holy), which is used in this chapter to designate the most holy place, or the space at the back of the dwelling. It follows still further from this, that by the altar in Lev 16:18, and also in Lev 16:20 and Lev 16:33, which is mentioned here as the third portion of the entire sanctuary, we are to understand the altar of burnt-offering in the court, and not the altar of incense, as the Rabbins and most of the commentators assume. This rabbinical view cannot be sustained, either from Exo 30:10 or from the context. Exo 30:10 simply prescribes a yearly expiation of the altar of incense on the day of atonement; and this is implied in the words “so shall he do,” in Lev 16:16. For these words can only mean, that in the same way in which he had expiated the most holy place he was also to expiate the holy place of the tabernacle, in which the altar of incense took the place of the ark of the covenant of the most holy place; so that the expiation was performed by his putting blood, in the first place, upon the horns of the altar, and then sprinkling it seven times upon the ground in front of it. The expression “go out” in Lev 16:18 refers, not to his going out of the most holy into the holy place, but to his going out of the ohel moed (or holy place) into the court.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
When the priest had come out from the sprinkling the blood of the bullock before the mercy-seat, 1. He must next kill the goat which was the sin-offering for the people (v. 15) and go the third time into the holy of holies, to sprinkle the blood of the goat, as he had done that of the bullock; and thus he was to make atonement for the holy place (v. 16); that is, whereas the people by their sins had provoked God to take away those tokens of his favourable presence with them, and rendered even that holy place unfit to be the habitation of the holy God, atonement was hereby made for sin, that God, being reconciled to them, might continue with them. 2. He must then do the same for the outward part of the tabernacle that he had done for the inner room, by sprinkling the blood of the bullock first, and then that of the goat, without the veil, where the table and incense-altar stood, eight times each as before. The reason intimated is because the tabernacle remained among them in the midst of their uncleanness, v. 16. God would hereby show them how much their hearts needed to be purified, when even the tabernacle, only by standing in the midst of such an impure and sinful people, needed this expiation; and also that even their devotions and religious performances had much amiss in them, for which it was necessary that atonement should be made. During this solemnity, none of the inferior priests must come into the tabernacle (v. 17), but, by standing without, must own themselves unworthy and unfit to minister there, because their follies, and defects, and manifold impurities in their ministry, had made this expiation of the tabernacle necessary. 3. He must then put some of the blood, both of the bullock and of the goat mixed together, upon the horns of the altar that is before the Lord, Lev 16:18; Lev 16:19. It is certain that the altar of incense had this blood put upon it, for so it is expressly ordered (Exod. xxx. 10); but some think that this directs the high priest to the altar of burnt-offerings, for that also is here called the altar before the Lord (v. 12), because he is said to go out to it, and because it may be presumed that that also had need of an expiation; for to that the gifts and offerings of the children of Israel were all brought, from whose uncleanness the altar is here said to be hallowed.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 15-19:
The first of the two goats was slain according to the ritual requirements. Aaron then took the blood into the Holy of Holies, where he followed the same procedure as with the blood of the bullock. This was as an atonement for the “holy place,” the outer sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The reason: its defilement by contact with the congregation. Israel was an “holy nation,” a sanctified nation, but this does not mean they were without sin. They had the sin nature inherited from Adam, Ro 5:12; 6:23; Ga 3:22.
Next, Aaron brought a portion of the blood of the bullock and the goat into the holy place, where he smeared it upon the “horns” of the Altar of Incense. He then sprinkled the blood seven times upon the altar, as he had done before the Mercy Seat within the Holy of Holies.
“Atonement,” kaphar, “to cover.” The blood of the sacrifices on this solemn occasion was “to cover” the sins and transgressions of the people from the sight of Jehovah.
During the entire procedure, no one except Aaron was allowed in the sanctuary. This pictures the solitary work of Christ, the High Priest of the New Covenant, who alone did what was necessary to reconcile the Holy God with fallen man, Isa 63:3; 1Ti 2:5.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
THE SIN OFFERING FOR THE PEOPLE 16:1519
TEXT 16:1519
15
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat:
16
and he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins: and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
17
And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.
18
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before Jehovah, and make atonement for it, and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
19
And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 16:1519
350.
Read Heb. 2:17 and discuss its application here.
351.
Read Heb. 9:22-24 and relate to this text.
352.
Why not allow anyone even in the holy place while the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies?
353.
Is the altar in Lev. 16:18 the altar of incense or of burnt offering?
PARAPHRASE 16:1519
Then he must go out and sacrifice the peoples sin offering goat, and bring its blood within the veil, and sprinkle it upon the place of mercy and in front of it, just as he did with the blood of the young bull. Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because it is defiled by the sins of the people of Israel, and for the Tabernacle, located right among them and surrounded by their defilement. Not another soul shall be inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters to make atonement in the Holy Placenot until after he comes out again and has made atonement for himself and his household and for all the people of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar before the Lord and make atonement for it. He must smear the blood of the young bull and the goat on the horns of the altar, and sprinkle blood upon the altar seven times with his finger, thus cleansing it from the sinfulness of Israel, and making it holy.
COMMENT 16:1519
Lev. 16:15-19 He returns to the outer court and kills the goat as a sin offering for all the people of Israel. The blood of the goat is taken in a bowl and is used in exactly the same manner and for the same purpose as the blood of the bull (Cf. Heb. 9:22-24)
Not only were all the sins of Israel which had not been forgiven or cleansed during the year thus atoned for, but the very tabernacle itself was annually sanctified anew by the sin offerings of this day. Commentators tell us that the blood of the bull and the goat was mixed and sprinkled the seven times before and on the ark to effect this cleansing.
We urge the reader not to overlook the SPECIAL STUDY on The Day of Atonement by J. A. Seiss which immediately follows this chapter. This study can be the basis for a marvelous sermon or lesson on this subject. A beautiful analogy is made between our great high priest and Aaron: when Aaron was occupied with the task of atonement once a year on the great day of atonement, no one could share the task with him. He must do it alone. Not a priest or Levite was to be found in the holy place of the tabernacle.
The altar of incense was to be cleansed by the sprinkling of the blood of both the ram and the goat on all four horns. It is thought by some commentators that the blood was sprinkled upon the middle of the golden altar, the ashes and coals having been previously removed so the gold shone brightly. No mention is made as to the method or action of sprinkling. Some other commentators refer this to the altar of burnt offering.
FACT QUESTIONS 16:1519
366.
Why a need for an annual cleansing of the sanctuary?
367.
Seven times the blood was sprinkledwhen and where?
368.
Why do some prefer the altar of incense instead of the brazen altar for the cleansing?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) Then shall he kill the goat.As the act of expiation for himself and for the priesthood was thus completed by the sprinkling of the blood, the high priest again left the Holy of Holies in the same manner as before, put the vessel on a golden stand in the Temple, expressly prepared for this purpose, and returned to the court, to the altar of burnt offering. On the north side of the altar he slew the goat which the lot had destined for God, and which was the sin offering for the people. As in the case of the bullock, which was his own sin offering, he caught the blood in the bowl, and went within the Holy of Holies a third time. He placed himself in the same position as before, sprinkled and counted the sprinklings in the same manner, and, on his returning to the Holy place, put the vessel on another stand.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“Then shall he kill the goat of the purification for sin offering, which is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull ox, and sprinkle it on the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat,”
His third entry into the Holy of Holies on that Day is after the killing of the he-goat for a purification for sin offering on behalf of the people. He also brings that blood within the veil and deals with it in the same way as with the blood of the bull ox.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The offerings for the People
v. 15. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering that is for the people, v. 16. and he shall make an atonement for the Holy Place, v. 17. And there shall be no man in the Tabernacle of the Congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the Holy Place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, v. 18. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, v. 19. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. v. 20. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the Holy Place and the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat, v. 21. And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, v. 22. and the go at shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited, v. 23. And Aaron shall come in to the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and shall put off the linen garments which he put on when he went in to the Holy Place, and shall leave them there, v. 24. and he shall wash his flesh with water in the Holy Place, v. 25. And the fat of the sin-offering shall he burn upon the altar. v. 26. And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat, v. 27. And the bullock for the sin-offering, and the goat for the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins and their flesh and their dung.
v. 28. And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Lev 16:15. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering Having performed the ceremonies requisite for his own expiation and that of his family, he was to proceed, in the same manner, to make expiation for the sins of the whole people, whose transgressions in the foregoing year rendered their place of worship unfit for God’s habitation; and, therefore, the victim’s blood was offered by the priests, as a sign of their having forfeited their own blood or life, and as an atonement for them, through the blood of the great Mediator. All this, as the apostle to the Hebrews has set forth, served abundantly to shew the imperfection of the legal dispensation; see Hebrews, chap. 10: Note; 1. Our most solemn services need pardon; even our prayers and duties must be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. 2. When Jesus gave himself for us, of the people there was none with him: the work was all his own, and to him be all the glory of it ascribed.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The same ceremony for the people as for himself, implied the universal taint of corruption; both alike in priest and people. It is nothing short of the blood of JESUS CHRIST, that cleanseth from all sin. Reader! meditate again and again on that sweet scripture, which can never be too strongly impressed upon the mind; that such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Heb 7:26-27 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
as = according as.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Scapegoat
Lev 16:15-34
The loneliness of the high priest, Lev 16:17; the sprinkling of blood within the veil upon the mercy seat, Lev 16:16; the fragrant incense, emblematic of a well-pleasing offering, Lev 16:13; the confession of sin and its bearing-away into a solitary land, Lev 16:22; the linen garments of simplicity and humility, Lev 16:23; the destruction of the carcasses of the beasts without the camp, Lev 16:27; the ultimate coming forth of the high priest to bless the people, bringing them the assurance of a finished and accepted work, Lev 16:24, compare Heb 9:28 all these points are carefully elaborated in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
The fate of the scapegoat was very moving! Laden with the sins of the people, it is led forth through the crowd of penitents, innocent yet execrated, dumb yet eloquent of the doom of the sin bearer, escaping death by the knife, to be forsaken even unto death! So Jesus died, with the cry of Forsaken on His lips.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Then shall: Lev 16:5-9, Heb 2:17, Heb 5:3, Heb 9:7, Heb 9:25, Heb 9:26
bring: Lev 16:2, Heb 6:19, Heb 9:3, Heb 9:7, Heb 9:12
Reciprocal: Exo 26:31 – a veil of Exo 29:20 – sprinkle Lev 1:5 – kill Lev 4:21 – a sin offering Lev 4:24 – in the place Lev 9:3 – Take ye Lev 23:19 – one kid Lev 23:27 – offer Num 28:15 – one kid Rom 3:25 – to be Heb 7:27 – and then Heb 10:20 – through
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 16:15. Then shall he kill the goat He went out of the holy of holies and killed it, and then returned thither again with its blood. And whereas the high-priest is said to be allowed to enter into that place but once in a year, that is to be understood of one day in a year, but there was occasion of going in and coming out more than once upon that day.